Oracle Court's Java Ruling Will Hurt Innovation: Microsoft

By Stewart Bishop

Law360, New York (February 20, 2013, 9:45 PM ET) -- Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday waded into Oracle Corp.’s appeal of a ruling in its fight with Google Inc. that found certain elements of Oracle's Java software were free for use under the Copyright Act, arguing the lower court’s ruling goes against settled law and spells doom for innovation in the software industry.

In an amicus curiae brief, Microsoft, EMC Corp. and NetApp Inc. told the Federal Circuit that the district court erred when it held that Oracle’s Java software packages that Google copied were not copyrightable...